XN000022-1973-01-10 — Page 7

6.

Wednesday, January 10, 1973

FIRE DANGER WARNING SYSTEM IS SHOWING EFFECT

Greater Awareness Leads To Drop In Fire Calls

*

The number of fire calls in Hong Kong has dropped by almost a

thousand and estimated fire losses have fallen by $20 million in the three

months since, the introduction of the new Fire Danger Warning System,

the Chief Fire Officer, Mr. F. Jackson, said today.

"Of course a major reason for the drop in calls has been the higher

humidity during the. final months of the past year compared with the same

period of 1971. But we are convinced that public awareness of the higher

fire danger during the winter months has contributed to the fall in the

number of fires," he said.

For instance in December, when the average humidity was the same

as for the previous December, there were 679 fires compared to 749 in 1971,

and fire loss was estimated at $400,000, compared with $2.6 million.

"It's quite a change to see any downward trend at all in the havoc

wrought by fire in Hong Kong each year, and it does show that an awareness

of the danger, and attempts to prevent fires, can work.

[

"We know this is just a small step, but it is a step in the right

direction, and we hope it is just the beginning."

Mr. Jackson said the fire figures for the last three months illustrated

the relationship between falling humidity and rising fire danger

was the basis of the new Fire Danger Warning System.

There were

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